Su Wanru's eyes darkened, filled with cold, vicious determination. "Mom, I won't give up that easily. If they won't let me live in peace, I won't let them off either."
Tong Yuexiu looked at her in shock. "You... What are you planning? We can't afford to cross the Long family."
Su Wanru gave a faint, slightly twisted smile. "Mom, I know my limits. I won't go after the Longs directly. I just want Long Yejue to understand that choosing Tang Mianmian was the biggest mistake of his life. I want him to regret it!"
Tong Yuexiu didn't know how to comfort her daughter. At this point, anything she said felt meaningless.
Su Minghai shot a cold glance at Su Wanru. "We've invested so much in you over the years. If you crumble just like that, it'd truly be a waste of our efforts."
Tong Yuexiu tugged at him urgently. "That's enough. She's already upset enough."
But Su Minghai didn't see it that way. To him, this daughter had always been a pawn. "Let's just be honest. You're not our biological daughter. We adopted you from an orphanage. We raised you like a rich heiress all these years with one goal—so you could marry into a powerful family."
Tong Yuexiu sighed, unable to stop him now that he had laid it all bare. "You… you senile old man. Why say all this now?"
Su Wanru clearly hadn't seen that coming.
She wasn't their biological daughter?
She stared in stunned silence at the man she had called "Father" for over twenty years. Her lips parted, but no words came out.
Su Minghai continued, "We gave you a good life. Naturally, you owe us. Now, because of this mess, Minghai Industries' stock has plummeted. It's a huge blow to the company. So, no matter what, you must turn this around. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to kick you out of the Su family."
"Dad…" Su Wanru looked at him, her face pale, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"No point calling me that. If I hadn't been infertile, none of this would've happened," Su Minghai said grimly, standing up.
This situation had humiliated him too.
Even though he hadn't wanted to reveal this so soon, he hoped it would light a fire under Su Wanru and shake her out of her slump.
Tong Yuexiu could only cover her face and weep.
It was a blow to her as well.
Su Wanru, blood drained from her face, nodded. "Alright. I'll fix this."
"Good," Su Minghai said, relieved.
After some half-hearted words of comfort from her parents, Su Wanru returned to her room and broke down in tears once more.
She never expected not to be the Su family's real daughter.
Given how status-obsessed her "parents" were, if she really became useless, they'd toss her out without hesitation.
No.
She couldn't let that happen!
She had lived too comfortably to go back now. If she were thrown out, how could she survive?
Wiping away her tears, Su Wanru stared out into the vast, dark night, then picked up her phone and called an investigative agency. "Hello, Brother Cheng? Did you find the info I asked for?"
"Yep. Was just about to call you."
"Good. Send it to my email. I'll wire you the rest of the payment," she said coldly, hanging up.
She grabbed a laptop and opened the email.
Inside were detailed reports on Tang Mianmian, Yan Youlan, Su Shijie, and more.
The more she read, the more excited she became.
So Tang Mianmian had quite the past before Long Yejue.
No wonder Yan Youlan spoke to her that way.
Su Wanru's eyes gleamed with dark intent.
This time, she would not spare Tang Mianmian.
She would make Long Yejue regret ever letting her go.
At the Long family estate, everyone knew one thing:
The young master and his wife were inseparable—and very much in love.
Long Yejue, cold and emotionless to the world, was doting and gentle to Tang Mianmian. The maids were all jealous.
No one had imagined that the infamous cold-blooded heir could be so tender.
Tang Mianmian and Long Yejue had moved back into the estate.
Tang Mianmian's reasoning? "It's good to spend more time with family."
Long Yejue couldn't say no to her.
This thrilled the old master. He had tried for years—softly and harshly—to get Long Yejue to move back, to no avail.
And yet, one word from Tang Mianmian did the trick.
It made him both exasperated and amused. Finally, Long Yejue was listening to someone.
But not everyone was happy.
Like Long Ruoshui, Long Yecheng, and Madam Wang.
To Long Ruoshui, Tang Mianmian's move-in was a slap to the face.
To Madam Wang, her position in the second branch was now even more precarious—despite knowing the old master would pass the Long Foundation to Long Yejue.
But she still dared to hope.
Long Yecheng had a different reaction. Watching the inseparable couple in the courtyard, he gripped the balcony rail so hard his knuckles turned white.
His eyes were cold and brooding. He finally drew the heavy curtains shut, unable to watch any longer.
Then, he made an international call in fluent American English.
"Hey David, how is she lately?"
"She's been doing well. Looks healthy. She hasn't had an episode in over a month," David replied.
Long Yecheng smiled faintly. "That's great. Any idea when she can come home?"
"That may take a while. Her current environment keeps her stable. If she returns to a familiar place, she'll likely relapse. I wouldn't recommend bringing her back just yet," David said honestly.
Long Yecheng knew that too.
He frowned slightly. "It's been eight years. The family misses her."
David sighed. "I'll keep doing my best. Hopefully she can return soon."
"Thanks, David."
"It's my duty."
As he ended the call, Long Yecheng's smile faded into solemn silence.
Eight years.
It was time… for things to change.
That Night
In the master bedroom of Nian Garden, Tang Mianmian was playing a game on her tablet while the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
Every now and then, she glanced up and caught glimpses of Long Yejue's strong silhouette behind the frosted glass.
Her cheeks turned red, and she quickly looked away to focus on her game.
But she kept stealing glances. And on the final one, she locked eyes with him.
Startled, she dropped her tablet onto the bed and scrambled to pick it up. "When did you get there?!"
"I've been here the whole time. How is that sudden?" Long Yejue said with a chuckle.
Did she really think he didn't notice her little peeks?
He was honestly surprised she wasn't pretending to be asleep like usual.
"It's late. Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked, drying his hair.
Tang Mianmian fidgeted and mumbled, "Yeah… It's weird. I'm just not sleepy tonight."
On previous nights, she'd fake sleep just to dodge his nightly… enthusiasm.
Though he always saw through it and "devoured" her anyway.
But tonight, she didn't even pretend.
Because… he was going on a business trip.
It would be their first time apart since getting married.
The thought made her chest ache.
Without realizing it, she had gotten used to having him by her side—used to seeing his face the moment she looked up.
Now she couldn't imagine how distracted and lost she'd feel without him.
Long Yejue casually dried his hair and walked over, wearing only a pair of shorts.
His figure was enough to make anyone blush and drool.
Tang Mianmian instinctively curled up, but he still scooped her into his arms.
"If you're not sleepy, let's do something meaningful," he whispered.
Face bright red, she pushed at him. "Why is that the only thing on your mind?"
"Not thinking about it when I'm holding you would be weird," he teased.
She bit her lip and was about to speak when his lips captured hers.
Kissing seemed to be his daily—no, constant—ritual.
He kissed her whenever he could.
It was sweet, yes… but she got shy way too easily.
Which only made him want to tease her more.
He didn't stop until she was breathless. "I heard from Cndy you're going on a trip…"
Distractedly, he responded while his hands wandered. "Yeah, going abroad."
"F-For how long?" she asked, already struggling to think straight.
"A week." He pinned her hands down and launched a full-scale attack.
One week… So long.
She wanted to say more, but he didn't give her the chance.
After a night of passion.
Tang Mianmian lay in his arms, exhausted and drowsy.
Long Yejue stroked her hair. "Wait for me at home. I'll be back soon."
She wasn't unreasonable, so she didn't say anything like don't go.
Long Yejue loved that about her—her understanding nature.
He pulled her closer.
She opened her eyes wide. "You…"
"The night is still young."
"Mm…"
At that moment, she hoped the night would never end.
The next morning, Long Yejue had already left.
She was so tired she slept until noon.
No one at the estate said anything—everyone was used to her pace.
After all, the old master doted on her, so no one dared to complain.
Waking up in the huge room, Tang Mianmian felt disoriented, like everything was surreal.
If it weren't for her sore body, she would've thought it was just a sweet, extravagant dream.
That man… was way too passionate last night.
He said he was leaving for a week and wanted to "pre-load" three days' worth…
Her waist almost snapped!
Grumbling, she muttered, "Leaving without waking me up…"
What kind of man sneaks off like that?
On the nightstand, there was a note—clearly left by Long Yejue.
She picked it up and read…